Sum travel - Portugal

PORTUGAL'S UNDISCOVERED HEART DESERVES A SPOTLIGHT. THOSE WHO LOVE SLOW LIVING, FARM-TO-TABLE FOOD AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE IN ALENTEJO. THIS RUSTIC REGION INVITES YOU TO TAKE A STEP BACK. TAKE IT SLOW!

Forget the Algarve with its popular beach resorts and tourist attractions. Alentejo is Portugal's largest region by land area and at the same time a sparsely populated area – or, put differently, delightfully tranquil. Often overlooked by the average tourist, the area is a real hidden gem. With its vast hilly landscape and olive groves, Alentejo is often called the Tuscany of Portugal.

Far beyond busy cities like Lisbon and Porto, hotel São Lourenço do Barrocal is situated in the middle of the vast plains of Alentejo. This is not just a hotel, but also a farm and estate that has belonged to the same family for more than 200 years. Not surprisingly, just like the Summum
team during the photo shoot, you will immediately feel at home here and don't really want to leave. What was once a small farmstead is now a luxury retreat for people from far and wide.

No less than 37 hectares of the estate consists of its own vineyard, where you can take a peek at the winemaking process and enjoy a tasting under the old holm oaks.

Pack your binoculars, because Alentejo is a paradise for animal lovers and wildlife-spotters. Herons, deer and wild boars often roam among the vineyards and olive trees. São Lourenço do Barrocal has its own stables, where Lusitano horses are ready to take you through the hills and past cork oak forests. It is one of the oldest horse breeds in the world and is considered the national horse of Portugal. From São Lourenço do Barrocal, a narrow, winding road leads into the hills, where the medieval village of Monsaraz crowns the landscape.

Don't forget to visit Alentejo's ceramics capital too: São Pedro do Corval is just a ten-minute drive from hotel São Lourenço do Barrocal. Here you will find workshops, studios and family-run businesses.

The real capital of the region, Évora, is the cultural heart of Alentejo. Here, Roman, Moorish and Portuguese influences converge within the centuries-old city walls. Évora, with its steep streets, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Beach lovers will find plenty to enjoy in Alentejo: with a coastline of no less than 100 kilometres, there is no shortage of vast beaches. Much of the coast is part of the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina. For example, walk a portion of the Trilho dos Pescadores, or The Fisherman's Trail.The end of the route crosses into the Algarve at the beach town of Odeceixe. Here the Seixe River flows into the sea, allowing you to kayak or paddle
from the interior to the sea.